A review by ehmannky
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I think I went into this expecting more horror than this book is. Overall, I'd say it's a lot more of a look at the damage abusive parents can do to their children, even if they love them, and the violence of colonialism mixed in with a coming-of-age story. I truly think Part One could have been done away with entirely and had that background information scattered throughout the rest of the book (it was so slow), but other than that the pacing was good. Something about this book kind of didn't land for me, and I can't figure out what it is. I figured out the twist in like the first chapter, which maybe took some of the joy of reading this away from me (though usually knowing where a story is going doesn't affect my enjoyment of the story so I have no idea why I didn't love this book). I think this book is interesting, but it's nowhere near the same level as Mexican Gothic or Gods of Jade and Shadow.
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